Once Upon a Family Reunion

[James Rodgers]

MY MIRROR, MY OPPOSITE

It was thirty minutes past six. Margot has gone out with her friends for the whole afternoon and Helena went out about couple hours ago to the grocery store. She said that she needed to acquire couple items she mentioned needing for the pie, garlic bread and lasagna she wanted to add to the dinning table, atop everything else she had on her list of regarleries.

James, would have given his mother his company if he wasn't assigned to clean around, prepare the BBQ and replace the lava rocks, or, clean them in hot water and dish detergent. In reality, he wanted to help his mother as much as he could, so that she has a chance to go to her hairstylist and take care of herself a little bit that day.

So as he wandered through warm winds of a departing afternoon, going about his business in the backyard, he hoped that Helena will be able to make it to her appointment on time. And she may have, since she hasn't been back home yet.

James had seen Helena cooking all day and decorating the open porch in the back of their habitat; fixing the balloons, hanging pendant lights from the porch's ceiling, filling vases with plants and flowers. Tonight was going to be a special moment for the family, and her brother has been making sure all week that their Uncle Jackson was available to come join them at the table. If his mother had invited him already, James wasn't aware of that; Colt mentioned nothing about it but he sounded in a good mood when he spoke to him over the telephone.

He promised that he would come.

The sun was in the sky still, burning in its golden hour, in preparation for a long night of sleep. People didn't notice whether it was winter or summer or what season it was exactly when they were happy, and James today, was a happy young man. His twin sister was voted president of the Theater Society in school. It was a special event for Helena, James because they knew how important it was for aspiring actress, Margot, to make that role and bounce a step higher.

The starting point of all achievements was desire and James could see the desire sparkle in his sister's bright eyes whenever he looked into her soul. Her motivation to succeed in life always mirrored his ... if hers didn't linger just a bit longer than his after succumbing to the dead of night.

Sometimes when she's sleeping with him in the same room, in the same bed, James would often ... simply stare at her while she breathes softly in her sleep. In that moment, he would smile, thinking to himself that the only obstacle that could ever stop his sister from getting ahead of everyone else in order to achieve the unachievable, was the state of dormancy.

He abandoned the outdoor setting and ran up the stairs to get himself ready too. Helena and Colt could arrive at any time. Margot in the other hand, had no idea that her family was preparing a surprise dinner for her so he hoped that she wouldn't come home too late.

So after taking a shower to clean himself, he slipped into a pair of dark grey pants and a blue shirt, styled his hair and carried her present down the stairs, skipping a few stairs excitedly. He hid the present in the living room, under one of the encyclopedias on the bookshelf, a lopsided grin on his face. The present was something of really no monetary value, but in his waking dream, he hoped that it was something Margot will smile for.

A voice, distorted, came from the kitchen. His mother must have left the television turned on. Paying the sounds and voices little to no attention, James Rodgers picked up an old copy of HAMLET, printed in 1929 and one that he had left the night before on the carpeted floor near the fireplace. He moved to the couch and sat, reading.

Suddenly, a car pulled over outside their home.

---

[Helena Rodgers]

don't think about the choices that you've made

Helena rarely had time for herself. She was almost always doing something for someone else, whether that be driving her kids around or working or making sure things were organized; it was always up to Helena to keep things flowing. She didn’t hate it, but it did grow exhausting. The pregnancy had been a surprise, and twins an even bigger one, but she was prepared to give up her life for them. Helena just didn’t realize that she would always be giving, and she would be giving alone. Of course it was all worth it in the end, but it didn’t mean Helena wasn’t completely exhausted by the end of every day. It had been gotten better as her children grew older, and they began to help around the house and were able to take care of themselves, but she still worried. They were good kids, but they didn’t avoid trouble as well as Helena wished they would.

Lucky for her, she’d been able to take some time for herself. James had told her to get out of the house, he would finish preparing for the party they were throwing for Margot. Party was probably a bite of an overstatement, considering that they were just having a nice dinner with the family. She glanced down at her watch as she sat beneath the hair dryer, and hoped that James had remembered to take the lasagna out of the oven; Margot wouldn't eat it if it were too crispy. She wouldn’t eat a lot of things, actually, and Helena rolled her eyes at the thought. James was usually good at remembering those things, but she couldn’t help but worry. Margot really deserved this. Helena was always worried that her daughter felt like she was forgotten or second best, but she was excited about this. Margot was quite the drama queen, so it seemed appropriate that she would be president of the theatre program at her school.

As she sat there, Helena realized she’d forgotten to invite Colt. Would he be offended that she’d forgotten? She’d been so busy that the thought had completely slipped her mind; part of her had almost expected him to know, even though he had no reason to. She had an awful habit of forgetting that he wasn’t always up to date with the family, and Helena scolded herself for letting that slip her mind. Was it too late to invite him? Maybe she would give him a call once she got home. She could always call him now. She glanced at her watch again; Colt would still probably be at work, and she knew things were a little tense at the casino right now. A showgirl had dropped unexpectedly, and they’d been scrambling to find someone to fill her position. Maybe she would just invite him for dinner later that week; the last thing she wanted to do was interrupt him while he was busy.

Helena made her way back home, feeling rushed despite the extra time she had between getting home and Margot arriving home. She’d gone out to the movies with her friends upon Helena’s insistence, and she’d spent the day in a flurry of cooking and cleaning and decorating. After Margot had announced her success, Helena had gone out and bought her daughter a voucher for advanced acting lessons. They’d cost more than Helena expected—and it would probably mean she had to be a little more careful with their money in the following month; she could pick up a few extra hours at the casino—but it would be worth it.

“Did you take the lasagna out of the oven, James?” Helena asked as soon as she stepped through the door, sliding off her heels, “And you finished the barbecue, right?” She eyed her son disapprovingly, peeved that he was reading instead of cleaning. He had taken the food out of the oven, though, and she was grateful for that. “I’m going to go change. If Margot gets here… well… I don’t know. Make a bird call or something.” She gave him a quick kiss on the head before heading into her room.

She eyed herself in the mirror, trying to figure out when she’d gotten so old. It felt like just yesterday that she was dancing on stage or trying to hide her accent or going to college or getting married. Her eyes flickered to the wedding picture that still sat on her dresser. Joe would be so proud of Margot. She took a deep breath and tore her eyes from the picture; now was not the time to cry. Helena changed out of her dress—it was far chillier than she expected—and into a pair of beige pants, a white button-up blouse, and a green jacket. She patted her hair, impressed with how well the curls were holding, and headed back out into the living room. Looking out the window, she frowned as Colt’s car pulled into the driveway, “What’s Colt doing here? Did you invite him?”

Colt Jackson James Rodgers Margot Rodgers

[Colt Jackson]

ALL I KNEW

THIS MORNING WHEN I WOKE IS I KNOW SOMETHING NOW, KNOW SOMETHING NOW, I DIDN'T BEFORE.

"I

m heading home now."


From across her desk, Jessica's eyes peeled off of the keys on her type writer and at her boss. He stood over her desk, suitcase in one hand and his hat in another. The words now registered, she looked startled, confused even as she looked at Colt apologetically.

"...So....soon?" She was careful with her words. She felt as though she had misunderstood him. Colt never left work early. He was often the very last to leave the office. The custodians would have gone and left by the time the older man turned the lights off in his office and fetched his keys from his pockets.

While she was frantically checking her calender, wondering if she had forgotten an important dinner with associates Mr. Jackson was attending or maybe a last minute presentation that was put together with the staff, Colt impatiently cleared his throat.

"I made plans," He explained. Vaguely of course. Colt wasn't known to gush about his personal life. He preferred keeping his private life private, as it should be. "Do you have...?" He made the shape of a box in the air.

"Oh, of course!" Jessica beamed, reaching down to pull one of her desk drawers. She placed a small, thoughtfully wrapped box in Colt's hand. It was a gift for tonight. He didn't know if a gift was necessary, but with all of the emphasis James had put in tonight, he thought the occasion fit. His secretary smiled at Colt. "She must be special," She commented, a glint of curiosity in her eyes as to who this gift that Colt had asked to have wrapped belonged to.

He said nothing, just cracked a small smile as he slipped the box into his pocket. "Goodnight, Miss Collins. You can pack up when you're done here."

"Goodnight, sir. Have a lovely evening."

Checking the time on his wrist, Colt ducked his head and slipped into the driver's seat of his car. Tonight was meant to be a celebration for Margot. Maybe it seemed like it was a bit over the top to be throwing a party for something like this, but Colt had remembered that he always nudged the kids into joining clubs and getting involved with their schools. He gave them loads of encouragement throughout their school years for doing so.

Vegas wasn't exactly the best place to be raising kids. It was easy for them to become distracted or bored. He didn't want them becoming the kids he saw on the strip, loitering in front of buildings, damaging property and creating havoc. Helena was a very good, attentive mother to her kids, but she was also incredibly busy being on her own and working a very demanding job that it gave them a lot of unsupervised time to do as they pleased. Maybe he put a little too much pressure on them to succeed, but it all came from a good place, a part of him that was concerned they would end up like some of the patrons at High Noon; low lives and drunks.

He wasn't the type that particularly enjoyed parties, but when James called him up and invited him for tonight, there was a part of him that was excited. It was flattering that James thought of Colt, that felt as though he belonged to that moment. For almost their entire lives, Colt had been on the outside looking in. He watched them grow up from a distance, experienced their milestones through a retelling of the details by Helena. Saying it was difficult was an understatement, but that was the decision Helena and Colt made and he was sticking to it. Though things had been easier as they have grown and sadly when Helena's husband was no more, there was still that barrier between them and Colt that separated him from truly being a part of the family.

Pulling up the driveway, Colt killed the engine and slipped out of the car. He watched the curtains in the windows wave as someone stepped away from the window. He wasn't late, was he? He checked his watch again. He appeared to be on time. Approaching the door, he pounded three distinct knocks into the wood. The door opened immediately and Colt was pulled inside.

"Easy!" Colt growled, fixing his hat tightly against his head as his eyes settled on James and Helena.

His hands smoothed his crisp white dress shirt as he eyed the two irritably, wondering why these two were always so wired up. "Nice to see you both as well..." He muttered sarcastically as Helena took the hat of Colt's head, giving his dark hair a quick scruff to fix it, and hanged it on the coat rack as James disappeared into the kitchen. It looked like there was no time for proper greetings or a simple 'how are you?', despite Margot not being here.

He peered into the living room, seeing the decorations and the set up. The smell of Helena's cooking made his stomach tighten. He put a hand over his abdomen and sighed. Colt always loved Helena's cooking. A warm feeling always washed over him at the thought of it. Everything was always made with care and fresh ingredients. Despite her busy schedule, Helena never settled for frozen meals or any of those quick and easy dinner dishes the super market was always trying to sell.

Before he could make any further comments or investigate what the night had in store for them, everyone froze as they heard the sound of a car pulling up towards the house. Colt quickly turned and looked as James urged them to hide.

"You're kidding," Colt complained. They weren't actually going to do that, were they? Hide and pop out like a bunch of idiots? Why couldn't they just have a nice, calm celebration without the need to crouch down (something that strained Colt's knees-- a sure sign of his age) and do this. He thought no one actually enjoyed surprise parties, but maybe that was just him.

Regardless, James repeated that they would hide. He ran and turned off the lights as Colt stubbornly stood there, not willing to make a fool of himself, until Helena yanked on his wrist and dragged him down on the floor as James ran into position as well.

The front door open. Colt could hear the distinct click of Margot's shoes on the floor as her hands padded the wall, searching for the switch as she guided herself down the hall and towards the living room. She called out for her brother and Helena, but there was only silence. Then the flip switched on and Colt swore that he was more surprised than Margot as James and Helena ruptured his eardrums with a hardy 'surprise!' booming across the room.

TAG:Helena Rodgers Margot Rodgers James Rodgers OUTFIT: suit and tie NOTES: ahhhhhh this fammm

[Margot Rodgers]

we're giving love in a family dose 

Perhaps being such a perfectionist wasn’t such a problem after all. Maybe pushing herself and not settling for anything less than her best was what landed her where she was today. Margot had been voted chairman of the theatre society at school and she couldn’t help but be proud of herself. As far as she was concerned, she deserved this. Last year’s production of Hamlet would have completely fallen through if she wasn’t there to pick up the pieces. Theatre was her haven. It was only right that she was crowned the queen of it at school.

The day had been spent doing lots of shopping and going to the movies with her friends Penny and Lucy. Margot was somewhat surprised that her mother was so eager for her to go out but she didn’t complain. The redhead adored going to the movies. The actors and actresses were always so good and it only encouraged Margot to try even harder- as if she needed the encouragement! They went to see Funny Face and Audrey Hepburn didn’t disappoint. Margot often wondered if many of the actors and actresses of Hollywood started out like her. Did Gene Kelly have a twin he kept quiet about? Was Jean Harlow voted to be the chairman of the drama club at school? Had Audrey Hepburn lost her father at such a young age, too? All this wondering was stupid, she knew that. She just liked to imagine what their lives off the screen and out of the papers were like. She wondered if she was painting her own path to fame right now.

With a new pair of shoes in a box tucked under her arm and a smile, Margot got out of the car and waved goodbye to her friends, thanking them for the fun day. Even though Lucy didn’t like the film and complained about it the whole way back, Margot was happy to spend the day with them. She had already planned to meet up with them later in the week. For now, though, it was time to go back home. Whether her mum and brother were home, she didn’t know. She didn’t even know what the time was.

Walking up the front path, Margot got to the door and glanced in through the frosted window. No sign of anybody there. Taking the key out of her bag, she slotted it into the door and swung it open before putting the keys down on the table and kicking the door closed behind her. She wandered in slowly, confused. It was strangely quiet. Even Captain hadn’t bounded over to welcome her. She put the shoe box down on the stairs and glanced up to the first floor. “Mom? James?” She stopped to listen. No answer.

Curious. Perhaps they had gone out. She kicked off her black pumps and proceeded through the hall. What was that smell?! Gosh, it smelt divine! It was making her feel hungry.

She entered the living room, into darkness. Her hand felt the wall for the light switch and when she found it she flipped it only to- “SURPRISE!!!” Her goofy family jumped out at her enthusiastically. She let out a little yelp as she jumped out of her skin and then looked to her family, unamused. They were dreadfully embarrassing. Blue eyes gazed across the room, taking in each happy face. Well, James and Helena looked happy. Colt looked like he had been forced into it. Wait… why was Colt here?

“What is wrong with you?!” She sounded almost exasperated. This family was so much work! Margot was the one that pulled stunts like this! Not her MOTHER! The stubborn, bitter feeling didn’t linger for long, however. She eventually buckled in and let out a chirpy giggle. She couldn’t believe they had actually made her jump.

“What are you doing?” Margot looked between brother, to Colt, to mother with a look of excitement. It was then that she sort of clocked what was happening. Her excitement slowed and she looked at her family with a look of genuine surprise. “This isn’t all for me, is it?”

wearing (but with pumps) | i hope this is ok  | Colt Jackson James Rodgers Helena Rodgers

[James Rodgers]

MY MIRROR, MY OPPOSITE

“Did you take the lasagna out of the oven, James?”



James' first reaction was that of a blank expression as he was already, so deep in thoughts when he was eyeing how wonderful his mother looked. He loved it when she took care of herself, and enjoyed her doing so even more when it was for a family occasion. He knew that it was exactly what his father would have wanted for his wife; to continue living in spite of a past never forgotten. James has been considering Colt as someone more than just his mother's friend. He did for years, but especially after his father's passing, James grew very attached to Colt that he considered him as someone who was part of the family. He was also very grateful that Colt was around when James needed him, even though he had this random instinct sometimes telling him that Helena, his mother, didn't truly enjoy James in the company of Colt Jackson.


For what reason then? Well, he might never know the answer to that simply because there was nothing truly worth worrying about. This instinct was probably nothing. James has been suffering from stress and paranoia for quite sometimes.


"Yeah, it's out already. It looked yummy... even thought about taking a bite but Margot would murder me if I've started on that lasagna without her." He finally answered gesticulating with his hand as he circled around his mother. He paused and threw two arms around her waist while pressing his cheek to her her back, inhaling into the refreshing scent in her long red locks. "Thanks, for doing all of this for Margot. We're so proud of you, do you know?" He smiled and let go of her. She needed to get changed before Colt arrived.


Carrying HAMLET with him to the kitchen, he secured the novel between his thighs while reaching for the refrigerator door with one hand and the cupboard with the other. He pulled the fridge door open and picked up a glass bottle of Squirt drink. He drew one of the cupboards open and searched it for one particular item. "Where's that damn bottle opener?" He muttered under his breath. James immediately realized that he had carried it earlier to the open porch and set it on the dinner table. But as he was making his way to get it, Helena's voice distracted his attention away from the invisible path he had laid only a moment ago, to the porch.


"Mhm, yup I did. I wanted Colt here, tonight. Y'know how much he cares about Margot. I hope... i hope you're okay with...that..?" His voice trailed off as he approached his mother with a quizzical rise of his right brow. The last thing he would want, was for her to be annoyed at him for trying to do the right thing.


Fortunately enough, the way Helena had interacted with Colt upon his arrival, made James exhale a breath or two of pure relief. Unless his mother was faking her contentment, he thought as he looked out the window, he was feeling quite pleased that everything was turning fine and that Colt was welcomed to be there for the family dinner. He glanced over at Colt and nodded his head appreciatively.


Margot's car pulling up towards the house was the surcease for Helena and Colt's little greetings as James urged the other two to hide. Every second was worthwhile; his sister could be with them at any moment. Colt's grumpy-grandpa expression wrapped in clear irritation, elicited a broad smile from James. "Come on old-man, hurry up and stop being so stubborn. So much for the bonding experience..." James laughed as he turned off the lights while Colt simply stood near the wall. "You have the carte-blanche, to stand there looking like the Boogeyman in the dark, or come hide with us." And James soon followed after Helena yanked on Colt's wrist, dragging him down on the floor.



---



One, two, three, four..

“Mom? James?”

And then...

"SURPRISE!!!"



Voices echoed in the now well-lit living-room, one voice as enthusiastically loud as the other. Only Colt stood there looking irritated and more surprised. James didn't comment about it because he wasn't gonna make a mountain out of a molehill; the sibling was too distracted by his sister's unrivaled arrival to say a word anyway. Colt wasn't going to remain grumpy all night, or at least he has hoped. Perhaps, it was time again to ask the man if they could go range shooting. He enjoyed adult company because he thought that a lot of the kids in school were very immature for his taste, especially them dirty greasers. With that idea in mind, James advanced towards his sister, thinking about how he has been wanting to spend some more time with Colt if his job didn't demand more of his time.


Briefly a twinge of abrupt worry hit the pit of his stomach when his eyes swept across an unsuspecting face, but when Margot's eyes finally softened, the fading smile on James' lips quickly crawled back to his face. He glanced between his parents and his sister.


"Well, all of this is for you'' An arm slithered around her shoulder and pulled her gently to his side. James placed a soft kiss on her cheek before pulling away enough to simply hold one of her hands warmly between his palms. "Mom, Colt and myself, we know how much your dream is important to you." James cocked his head to the side, glancing between his sister's blue pools. "And I know that what we've prepared for you tonight will not be enough," He chuckled and bit his bottom lip, letting go of her hand, "but this surprise reunion is just... our humble way to let you know that we're here to support you at all time." He extended a closed-lip smile to Margot while rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away. He cast a glance at Colt, and then Helena, giving them too a chance to say something.

---

                           Margot Rodgers  Colt Jackson Helena Rodgers